Television/internet game show

ABSTRACT

A method for creating and providing information used in a television game show, where initial user information is obtained from the Internet. Pairs of users register and answer a questionnaire over the Internet to create user profiles for each pair of possible contestants. Pairs of users are selected as contestants provided they match the criteria where one user from one pair is the former spouse of a user from a second pair. The selected contestant pairs compete against each other in a televised broadcast to answer questions of a personal nature related to former spouses, and the winning team is given prizes, such as travel to romantic and/or exotic locales. Sponsors will provide the prizes, and will be given a prominent advertisement that will be posted on the pertinent Internet web site at which the users register and other members of the public can monitor the results of the shows performance.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a television show that also utilizes the Internet. In particular, the present invention relates to a television show featuring at least two teams of real people (not actors) who are then divided into pairs, where one contestant from a first team was previously married to a contestant from the second team. The other contestants may be “new significant others” of the previously married contestants. The teams compete against each other to correctly answer questions of a personal nature about each of the previously married contestants

2. Description of the Related Art

Television game shows are becoming increasing popular. For example, the television game show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” has been an extremely popular television program recently. Also, shows dealing with real people in real situations are currently very popular. For example, the television show “Survivor” reached an almost cult status and had fantastic ratings when it was aired in the summer of 2000. Needless to say, the Internet, or World Wide Web, is an extremely popular medium for people to obtain information, chat on-line, and purchase goods and/or services easily and quickly.

Therefore, it is desired to have a television game show that that involves real people with real-life backgrounds, especially with contests and competition between two previously married people and their new significant others for prizes, and that also involves the Internet in some manner.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to have a television game show that involves real people who have been previously married and are now with pitted against each other in competition for prizes and money, and which also involves the Internet in some manner. In a preferred version of the game show, the previously married contestants are paired with their “new significant other.” In other words, where Contestant A was previously married to Contestant B, but now Contestant A is married, dating, engaged, or is otherwise in a relationship with Contestant C (i.e., a “new significant other”) and likewise, Contestant B has a new significant other, namely Contestant D. Contestant A is paired with Contestant D and Contestant B is paired with Contestant C. Contestants B and C are asked personal questions relating to Contestant A, and Contestants A and D are asked personal questions relating to Contestant A. Points can be assigned to individual contestants for answering the questions correctly. The team with most individual contestant points is eligible to win prizes, including travel to romantic and/or exotic locales.

In a further embodiment of the method personal factual information about contestants A and B is obtained, preferably from the former spouse and new significant other. Additionally, such background personal information may be obtained from verified family members and friends through the Internet. Questions are then prepared and presented to contestants A and D that relate to the personal factual information about contestant B and likewise questions are prepared and presented to contestants B and C that relate to the personal factual information about contestant A.

In yet a further embodiment the method comprises obtaining answers from contestants A and D and from B and C to the personal factual questions; comparing the answers to the personal factual information obtained from contestants A and B; assigning point values to correct answers; and tallying the point values to determine a winning team. Individual contestant point values may be assigned for correct answers by an individual contestant. Those points are tallied for each contestant and then adding for contestants on the same team. A comparison of the added point values is made to determine a winning team.

The method can also involve obtaining a sponsor to provide the prizes for a winning team. Videotaping and broadcasting the teams answering the questions on a television program is preferred, wherein the television program can be broadcast periodically, and excerpts of the videotaping are shown on future broadcasts of the television program. The method may also involve providing streaming video corresponding to the videotaping via a web page that can be accessed via the Internet.

Registration of potential candidates is preferably accomplished by providing users access to register by way of Internet, where the user is provided with a link from a home web page to a first web page. The actual registration process may involve clicking on a link from the home web page to get to the first web page; entering in information by way of a questionnaire provided on the first web page; and reading information concerning contest rules and clicking to indicate agreement with the contest rules.

This object may be achieved by a method for providing a television game show. The method includes providing potential contestants, i.e., users that access to register to win a contestant spot on the television game show, wherein the access to register is by way of the Internet and wherein the registering requires pairs of users to provide a profile which is stored; selecting from the stored profiles a first team as contestants A and C; selecting from the stored profiles a second team as contestant B and D, where contestant A was previously married to contestant B; pairing contestant A with contestant D and pairing contestant B with contestant C; and allowing the two teams compete against each other for prizes based on a predetermined number of correct answers to questions relating to personal information about contestants A and B.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings with like reference numerals indicating corresponding parts throughout, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the fundamental features of the television/Internet game show, according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of various inputs to the television show, according to an embodiment of the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail herein below, with reference to the drawings.

The present invention is directed to a method for creating and presenting a television game show featuring real people who were once married to each other and who preferably are now in relationships with other people (i.e., new significant others). Teams comprising a former spouse and new significant other are pitted against a team with the other former spouse and new significant other to see which team can answer correctly more questions that relate to the personal background of each former spouse. Wining teams are awarded prizes, including trips to romantic and/or exotic locales.

The television game show utilizes information obtained from pairs of users through the Internet in order to determine which pairs of users will be selected as contestant teams. Typically, the potential contestants will have to answer a series of questions relating to their backgrounds as part of the online registration process. Of course, potential candidates can also be selected by completing a registration process that is performed using more traditional methods such as phone solicitation or the U.S. mail system. Preferably, two pairs of users are selected from user profiles to provide different contestant teams for each weekly broadcast of the television show. The television game show will preferably be called “The EX versus the NEXT.”

The television game show will preferably be a weekly, one-hour prime time major network show (e.g., broadcast between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. on either NBC, CBS, ABC or FOX), which will include live and taped segments presented by an anchor or host in a studio setting, with film crews and possibly reporters on location with family members and/or friends who may be asked to provide some of the questions poised to the contestant teams. One team winner will be selected weekly based on total team points earned through tallying of point values assigned to each correct answer made by individual contestants. Information about the contestants and possible personal questions to be asked are gathered at a particular Internet website related to the television show.

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of the various elements involved in creating such a television game show. A system server 110 will store computer programs involved in providing information for the television game show (e.g., one computer program will sort and determine qualified pairs of possible contestants and another computer program may tally up votes to determine a winner). A television broadcast unit 120 can utilize the information obtained from users on the Internet and which is stored at the system server 110, and outputs a television signal, which can be received by viewers via their television receivers 130-A to 130-M. Such reception may be via satellite dish, cable television, UHF/VHF roof-top antenna, or the like. The system server 110 obtains information submitted by users on the web site for the television game show, where pairs of users can register to be potential show contestants and where family members and/or friends can post possible questions or factual background information from which questions can be asked. Likewise, it is may be desirable to allow users of the Internet to vote for their favorite contestant teams during the airing of the television show. FIG. 1 also shows PCs 140-1-140-N by which users can access the pertinent web site and perform various tasks related to the game show.

FIG. 2 shows the various inputs that can be utilized in creating the weekly television show 410. Those inputs include: a) obtaining information from potential pairs of contestants 420, b) a studio with a host and a live audience 430, c) live feeds from field crews (e.g., interviewing family members and/or friends of the contestants) 440, d) periodic follow-ups of past winners (e.g., three to twelve months later) 450, e) a listing of a next group of contestants to be televised competing against each other 460, f) viewer's e-mail questions and comments 470, and g) taped segments covering the past weeks' events (e.g., taped segments of past weeks' winners enjoying their prizes) 480.

The selection process for obtaining the two pairs of contestants that make up the first and second teams is explained in detail below. All potential contestants have to register at the pertinent website or submit an application via phone or regular mail. Each potential contestant registers as part of a pair of users to the Internet website and fills out a questionnaire that can be found on the web site. Two pairs of users are needed to complete a registration, where one user from one pair must have previously been married to a user of a second pair of users. As used herein, the words “married” and “spouse” are not necessarily limited to the legal relationship between a man and a women, but could also include common law relationships or co-habitation partnerships lasting at least 5 years and could include partnerships involving two people of the same sex.

A computer program can be used to evaluate the received registrations from the two pairs of users to select the two teams that will be televised on each televised show, preferably a new show every week. The computer program may be located at a same server in which the software for the maintaining and presenting the web site is stored, but it may also be located separate from the server (with a secure link from the server computer to the separately-located computer), for enhanced security purposes. The computer program can also be used to store the factual background information obtained about each former spouse making up one of the team contestants and to generate questions relating that factual information. The factual background information may be obtained from the users at the time of registration or at a later date and can include information provided by family members and friends of the former spouse contestants.

The selected team contestants can be posted on the website, where family and friends can view the selections and provided information about the former spouses. In order to qualify as a contestant, the users must be at least eighteen years old, United States citizens, and not be currently serving time in jail, where these qualification criteria are by way of example and not by way of limitation. While other restrictions may be required by law, the intent it to make it as easy as possible to qualify, and to open up the contestant eligibility criteria to as much people as possible.

The general rules of the television/Internet game show will be explained in detail below. The two teams of contestants will comprise Contestant A and Contestant C as Team 1 and Contestant B and Contestant D as team 2. Contestant A and Contestant B must have been previously married to each other, and Contestant C must now be the “new significant other” of Contestant A and Contestant D must be the “new significant other” of Contestant B. Contestant A is paired with Contestant D to answer personal questions about Contestant B. The number of correct answers by Contestant A and Contestant D is tallied and the assigned point values for each correct answer by a contestant is credited to the appropriate team. In other words, if ten questions, each having a point value assigned, about Contestant B are asked to Contestants A and D and Contestant A answers 7 correctly and Contestant D answers only 3 correctly, then the total point value is determined for Contestants A and added to Team 1's total accumulated point values, and likewise the total point value is determined for Contestant D and added to Team 2's total accumulated point values.

After asking a series of questions to Contestants A and D, a new series of questions relating to personal information about Contestant A is asked to Contestants B and C. Again, the point values are tallied and added to the appropriate team. After a number of rounds of question asking the total points accumulated by both teams is tallied and a winning team is announced. Examples of the types of questions that can be asked to each pair of contestants about the former spouses include, but are not limited to, the following:

-   -   Contestant “A”=ex-husband     -   Contestant “B”=ex-wife     -   Contestant “C”=Contestant A's new significant other.     -   Contestant “D”=Contestant B's new significant other.     -   Teams:     -   A+C=Team One     -   B+D=Team Two

Sample questions concerning contestant “A”:

-   -   1. What is Contestant A's mother's maiden name?     -   2. How many aunts and uncles does Contestant A have on his         father's side?     -   3. What year did Contestant A graduate from grammar school?     -   4. What is Contestant A's shoe size?     -   5. What was Contestant A's favorite school subject selected from         the following:         -   Math, science, history or English?     -   6. What is contestant A's favorite sport selected from the         following:         -   Football, baseball, basketball or hockey.

At the home page of the web site related to the television show, there can be links to the following features: a) questionnaire/registration; b) family/friends submission of personal information and/or questions; c) sponsor of the week; or d) on air. The steps involved in processing data entries obtained from the Internet, and using the processed data entries for a live television show to be broadcast on a major television network can include the following. A computer user logs into the Internet via his/her personal computer (“PC”) or via a television that allows for both television and web display, and then accesses the pertinent website. The website may be accessed via a PC (and displayed on a computer monitor).

One of the links on the home web page is to a web page which provides a questionnaire that the user or pair of users fill out in order to properly register so as to become eligible to become a team of contestants. After the user has selected the questionnaire link, he/she will be welcomed, advised of the required qualifications and rules, and asked to fill out or update a questionnaire. A user can update their questionnaire as often as they like, but there may only be one questionnaire (entry) per pair of users. Preferably, the questionnaires will be deleted periodically, for example, twice a year, so as to require a new questionnaire to be filled out by all users who want to become eligible to be contestants in future television shows.

The questionnaire preferably includes topical questions and somewhat off-beat questions, to add to the interest in the game show and to differentiate users from each other. Based on answers made in the questionnaire, the user may be provided with link to sponsors. For example, software may be provided to look for key words in answers to the questions in the questionnaire, and based on key word hits that match key words for a sponsor, that sponsor's name will be provided, along with the key word and a link to the sponsor's home page. That way, sponsors may be able to increase their sales potential based on user's who are filling out questionnaires to enter the game show and who become interested in products of the sponsors may aware to them by virtue of the Internet web pages of the game show.

Also, another link will take a user to a web page that has names of companies who are past, present or future sponsors of the television game show. There a purchase search engine will preferably provide a link to the home (or to the product/service purchasing) web page of each of these companies, as well as providing a search function for allowing a user to enter in a search term, whereby the user will be provided with the listed companies that may sell the goods or services requested by the user. For example, if the user enters in “car” as a search term, and if “Ford”, “Domino's Pizza” and “U-Haul” are the past, current and future sponsors listed on the purchase search engine web page, then the user will be prompted with both “Ford” and “U-Haul” as possible companies that can serve the user's “car” need.

The “on air” link from the home web page is for interactive television. A family member or close friend of the contestants user may enter in a question or provide pertinent factual background information concerning the former spouses. The television show may use past e-mails or posts (which are preferably stored at the server computer), and/or current ones received while the television show is being broadcast live. As an added feature, a live studio audience may be polled for possible subject areas from which questions may be generated and/or to vote for a favorite team.

As explained in some detail above, preferably the two teams of contestants will compete on live weekly television broadcasts, will use a live host to ask the questions to contestants, will allow the paired contestants to provide written and/or verbal answers to the questions, and include the live award of prizes to the wining team. Also, the television show may include follow-up segments on previous winners, with a “What Ever Happened To . . . ” theme. All winners would have to agree to this potential follow-up prior to being awarded their prize.

While a preferred embodiment has been described herein, modification of the described embodiment may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, following the teachings of the invention, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 

1. A method for providing a television game show, comprising, providing pairs of users as potential contestant teams access to register to win a team contestant spot on the television game show, wherein the access to register is by way of the Internet and wherein the registering requires each pair of users to provide a profile which is stored; selecting from the stored profiles a first team comprising contestants A and C; selecting from the stored profiles a second team comprising contestant B and D, where contestant A was previously married to contestant B; pairing contestant A with contestant D and pairing contestant B with contestant C; and allowing the two teams compete against each other for prizes based on a predetermined number of correct answers to questions relating to personal factual information about contestants A and B.
 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, obtaining personal factual information about contestants A and B and presenting a series of questions to contestants A and D that relate to the personal factual information about contestant B and presenting a series of questions to contestants B and C that relate to the personal factual information about contestant A.
 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising, obtaining answers from contestants A and D and from B and C to the personal factual questions; comparing the answers to the personal factual information obtained from contestants A and B; assigning point values to correct answers; and tallying the point values to determine a winning team.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, assigning individual contestant point values for correct answers by an individual contestant; tallying the contestant point values for each contestant; adding the tallied point values for contestant on the same team; and comparing the added point values to determine a winning team.
 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: obtaining a sponsor to provide the prizes for a winning team.
 6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: videotaping and broadcasting answering the questions on a television program.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the television program is broadcast periodically, and wherein excerpts of the videotaping are shown on future broadcasts of the television program.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the providing users access to register by way of Internet is made by providing the user with a link from a home web page to a first web page.
 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the access to register comprises: clicking on a link from the home web page to get to the first web page; entering in information by way of a questionnaire provided on the first web page; and reading information concerning contest rules and clicking to indicate agreement with the contest rules.
 10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: providing streaming video corresponding to the videotaping via a web page that can be accessed via the Internet. 